Lucky Number Thirteen
by mademoiselleblair
Summary: Aria is finally ready to take her relationship with Ezra to the next level. Told from Ezra's point of view! Lots of passion, fluff, and beautiful Mr. Fitz.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is how I imagined Aria and Ezra's first time together if Ezra had stayed at Rosewood High. Enjoy! More coming soon...**

A brunette in the front row raised her hand to interrupt his class.

"Yes, Aria," Ezra called.

"Ariel," she corrected. "Ariel Peterson."

Ezra froze, did a double take, and backtracked. "Sorry, Ariel, what's your question?"

He could be forgiven for not getting her name right - she was a new student who had just moved to Rosewood the week before - but the mix-up had nothing to do with how well he knew his students' names. He and Aria had had sex for the first time last night and he couldn't stop replaying the scene over and over in his head, even while he was teaching.

He _tried _to focus, but blocking out images of her sweet, trusting face and pin-up girl curves was nearly impossible. Besides, he was teaching his freshmen, his least favorite class. They all seemed so young. Right now, the majority of the class was slumped over their desks, eyes on the clock.

"When is the extra-credit assignment due?" Ariel asked. With her laser-focused, intent eyes and ramrod-straight posture, she reminded him of Spencer. The other students groaned.

"Tuesday," he said, just as the bell rang. As students scrambled to close their notebooks and leap up from their desks, he announced, "And remember, be prepared to discuss chapters eight and nine tomorrow in class!"

The class scrambled out of the room. They weren't normally so quick to leave, but he couldn't blame them - it was last period on a Friday and the forecast for the weekend was supposed to be beautiful. When the last of the kids had left, he sat down at his desk and pulled out a stack of essays to grade. He uncapped his red pen and pulled out the first one, but he was lost thinking about Aria.

The night before, Ezra had been flipping channels on his couch when the doorbell rang. Groaning, he got up from his comfortable, reclining position and opened the door.

Aria was leaning against the doorframe. "Hey, there," she said flirtatiously, eyes bright.

"Hey! I didn't know you were coming."

She stepped in close, pressed her palms to his chest, and greeted him with a long, full kiss. He braced her hips and savored the kiss, running his tongue in a smooth circle around hers.

"I had to drop off Mike at a friend's house and I was in the neighborhood. I figured I'd stop by to see if you were here," she explained, her voice trailing off into an impish grin. "And my parents are out of town, so it's just me."

"Who's funeral? Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine - it's some distant relative of my mom's. He was in his nineties. My parents didn't want me missing school, so they had me stay home."

"Oh, so this is home now?" Ezra smiled. With all the hours Aria spent here after school and on weekends, it might as well be.

She planted a playful kiss. "My home away from home," she said.

He loved that she felt at home here. The little apartment was far from glamorous, but it was the one space where their relationship was truly allowed to blossom. Even when she wasn't here, the place was packed with her presence and her touch. How many times had they curled up on the couch, tangled up under the same blanket, fingers intertwined? How many times had they cooked dinner and played music and laughed right in this room? He swelled with pride that she felt like the apartment was home - _their _apartment, in all but rent.

Before long, they were spooning chocolate chip ice cream into their mouths straight from the container. Aria sat on the kitchen counter, legs wrapped around Ezra in front of her. They were trading stories about their days.

"You wouldn't believe what I overheard during gym today," Aria gossiped, eyes wide.

"What?"

"You have Taylor Montucci in one of your classes, right?"

"Yeah, she's a great student. She just turned in one of the best essays I've seen on _Hamlet _in a long time," Ezra recalled.

"Well, I heard in the locker room that she got pretty wild over spring break. Apparently she went to Cancun and had made out with a different guy every night for a week. Can you imagine?"

Ezra raised an eyebrow. Hearing gossip about his students was always jarring, especially when he had to face them daily in class.

"C'mon, Ar, it's not _that _crazy. That sort of thing tends to happen in Cancun," he reasoned. "And it'll happen a lot more often once she gets to college."

"That's at least five or six guys!" Aria protested. "Not something you'd expect from her, is it?"

"Well, no, I guess not…" Ezra began, but he wasn't too convinced. As much as he loved Aria, she tended to be on the innocent side. Hooking up with a new girl at every party had been Ezra's favorite hobby during his first few years of college. He was away from home for the first time and couldn't resist the sea of girls he had wandered into. Looking down at the beautiful brunette in front of him, he realized he was still irresistible to a girl's charms - but this time, it was more than just a fleeting attraction.

Aria narrowed her eyes. "What's your number?" she asked shyly.

"My number?" he repeated, stalling for time.

"Yeah, you know, your number. How many girls have you slept with?" Aria nudged his shoulder playfully.

"You think Taylor is bad?" Ezra met Aria's eyes and paused for a beat, trying to gage what her reaction would be. "Twelve."

Aria blushed. "Twelve?"

Ezra forced himself to hold her gaze.

"Twelve isn't so bad, actually. That's, like… what, two a year since you were seventeen?" Aria guessed hesitantly, calculating it out in her head.

"There was Samantha, the girl I dated my senior year of high school. I think we only did it a couple of times before we broke up. And then things got a little crazy in college for awhile… and then there was Jackie. And then just one more after her, which wasn't the best decision - it was in a bar bathroom in Philly," he said sheepishly, running a hand through his hair.

"That seems to be your thing," Aria commented dryly. Suddenly, she sat up straight. "Name them all."

He laughed. "Right now?"

"Right now, Romeo," she insisted. "_Carpe diem_."

"Okay, well, I told you about Samantha, and then Lauren, Natasha, Jill… Kaitlyn, no, Kaitlyn was before Jill. There was Hannah, my roommate's girlfriend's best friend; we dated for almost a year in college. Alyssa…" he paused, counting. "How many is that? Seven?"

"Losing count?" she teased.

"No, I got this. After Alyssa was Sydney. Do you know Evan Rombauer, he goes to Rosewood High?"

"Yeah, I think so. Tall, blonde, plays football?" Aria asked.

"Yeah, Sydney's his older sister. We went to Hollis the same year. We hooked up for awhile in college."

"Okay, you're up to eight," Aria pressed.

"After Sydney, there was this one night where I got really, really drunk and I don't even remember the girl's name. That was bad, I know," Ezra winced. "She was number nine."

He glanced at Aria. If she was uneasy, she didn't show it.

"Then there was a girl one summer when my family went to Cape Cod, Jessica." Ezra laughed, "My dad came so close to walking in on us one time, I'll never forget how scared I was."

"Oh my God, really? What happened?" Aria asked, her hand clapped to her mouth.

"I could hear his footsteps coming, and just as he knocked on the door, I shouted, 'One minute!' and we both threw clothes on. He was coming to get me for dinner. I couldn't look him in the eye all night," Ezra explained, blushing.

"And then there was Jackie," Aria prompted.

"Right. Followed by the bar bathroom incident - her name was Elizabeth," Ezra filled in.

"The _first _bar bathroom incident," Aria reminded him, trailing a finger down his chest.

"How could I forget?" Ezra asked, grinning. "But God, that seems like too many when I count them out like that. It was college, I was horny and… well, not very good at self-control."

"Twelve is a lot to live up to," Aria admitted. He hated how nervous she looked, biting her lip and fingering the shoulder seam along his t-shirt. Didn't she know how beautiful she was? How much he loved her?

"Hey, hey, it doesn't matter. I just have a few years on you, that's all," Ezra said, trying to soothe her. He smoothed his fingers over her hair and gently kissed her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said tenderly, looking up at him.

"There's nothing to worry about," he said, stroking her hair again. "We can wait as long as you want, until whenever you're ready. Months, years, I don't care - I'm not going anywhere."

A glimmer of a smile brightened Aria's face. "You know what that'll make me?" she asked.

"What?"

"Lucky number thirteen," she said, her eyes bright.

They both laughed, his low and throaty, hers melodic and light. Moonlight streamed through the window; somehow, hours had slipped by since Aria had first arrived. The light cast a pretty glow throughout the apartment.

"Tell me about Samantha," Aria said, suddenly serious again.

Ezra grasped for the right words. "Awkward… Terrible. I had just turned eighteen and was scared out of my mind. I had no idea what I was doing was afraid I'd come too early and ruin it."

He hadn't thought about that night in years, but he felt his chest swell with pride thinking about it now. Back then, he had worried that he couldn't go off to college as a virgin and was only concerned with finishing too soon. Now, the only worry on his mind with Aria - whenever that may be - was that she was comfortable and cared for and felt safe with him. His priorities had changed, that's for sure.

"You were scared?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was," he nodded. He wanted to ask her if she was scared of losing her virginity. Would talking help? But before he could ask, she spoke up.

"I'm not. Scared, I mean," she said, meeting his eyes. "I trust you. I love you, and I always will."

Ezra's heart skipped a beat. He felt a stirring in the pit of his stomach as he began to get hard at the thought of sleeping with Aria, but ignored it. "You don't have to say that if you're not ready, you know. It's your decision," he said, meaning each and every word of it.

"I'm ready, Ezra," Aria insisted fiercely. As if to prove her point, she leaned into a kiss, sliding one hand up the back of his neck to tangle her fingers into his hair, and the other hand to the small of his back to pull him closer towards her.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I was blown away by all your incredible feedback! I posted it past midnight last night and woke up to 11 reviews just six hours later - you guys are crazy! (In a totally awesome way.) Be warned, the rating is going way up to M for this chapter. You know what's coming next!**

Ezra's heart raced as he kissed Aria back. She was still sitting on the edge of the kitchen counter, legs wrapped around him. He caressed her cheek with one hand and let the other slip around her waist. She sucked on his lower lip and ran her tongue along it, a move that always made him shiver. He planted a trail of kisses from her collarbone to her ear, swirling his tongue around its ridges and gently biting her ear.

"Not here," she murmured, moaning softly as he attended to her neck with kiss after kiss.

Did she think he was really going to have her right here? Her first time? No, he had imagined this for months; he knew exactly how he would do it. He knew she deserved better than that - and so he had planned something better than that. His small apartment might not be a five-star hotel, but he wanted to make the night romantic for her.

Wordlessly, he reached under her thighs and scooped her up. Her legs tightened around his waist and her arms closed behind his neck. She poured a kiss into him, and he responded eagerly. Practically powerless against her effect on him, he was hard before they reached the bedroom.

Once he reached the bed, he set Aria down and crawled on after her. Kneeling on the bed, she tugged Ezra's soft, white t-shirt over his head. He knew she loved his bare chest - she had once called it "delicious," a thought which made him blush at the time. Now, it just made him hungry. Undressing Aria was usually a challenge; she typically wore outfits with hidden zippers and elaborate straps, but tonight, she wore a simple cotton dress that looked like it could easily slip over her head. He tested his theory and was rewarded with her pale, moonlit skin and lacy black lingerie. He tossed the dress aside and wondered if the outfit - bra and panties included - was chosen specifically for tonight's activity.

"You're stunning," he said.

Even in the dark, Ezra could easily see her smile - but he'd be lying if he said that was all he was looking at. He loved the way her breasts curved coquettishly into her black lace bra. The milky skin of her cleavage rose and fell as she caught her breath. Her tiny waist bloomed into slender hips and a round, high ass that drove him crazy.

"You have no idea how hot you are," she mused. She backed up onto the pillows against the headboard and pulled him with her. "Come here."

He didn't need to be told twice. They kissed again, eager for each other's lips and necks and skin, faintly tasting of the creamy chocolate chip ice cream they had shared earlier. Ezra nibbled his way down her neck, careful not to leave too obvious of a lovebite. But he didn't stop there. She arched her back, allowing him to slip one hand behind her to unhook her bra. She sat up and shimmied out of it, tossing it to the floor. He cupped both breasts in his hands, feeling their weight and curve. They were beautifully round.

Ezra drew the tip of his tongue in circles around one nipple, flicking his tongue across it to elicit a satisfied moan. Aria threaded her fingers through his hair and let her head hang back. "This feels so good," she sighed. Giving one breast a firm squeeze, he turned his attention to the other, licking and massaging it delicately. He loved that he had such an effect on her.

She pulled him closer for an enthusiastic kiss. Her hands wandered, slipping beneath the waistband of his jeans and trailing across his skin.

"I think," she said in a throaty, sexy whisper, "that you're wearing far too many clothes." She eyed the bulge in his jeans suggestively and set to work on loosening his belt. Once the brown leather belt had been discarded alongside her bra on the floor, she swiftly undid the button on his jeans and pulled down the zipper.

Ezra rolled to the edge of the bed and stood to pull off his jeans. There was no hiding his tented boxers; he was obviously aroused. He caught Aria staring and briefly wondered what she thought of it. This wasn't their first time stripped down to just their underwear - they'd been completely naked at least a half-dozen times in the past - but the air buzzed with a different energy this time.

When he crawled back towards her, Aria reached to stroke him through the light fabric of his boxers. Her touch felt like silk, but he resisted letting it take him over. Instead, he let his fingers dance across the soft skin right above her panties. Slipping his fingers underneath the lacy material, he grazed his fingers over her, watching in contentment as her eyes fluttered closed. He knew Aria's body almost as well as his own and took no time to find her most sensitive spot. Rolling his finger in those slow, firm circles he knew she loved, he felt her body tense against his.

"Mmm, Ezra…" she murmured. She was still sliding her hand up and down his shaft, thumbing over the head of his cock, but her grasp slackened as Ezra increased his pace on her. Her breathing grew erratic and shallow and he could feel her fingers digging into his shoulder. She threw herself into another kiss, deeper and more frenzied than before. By this point, she had pulled her hand out of his boxers and had it clenched against his chest.

He sensed how close she was and rubbed her rhythmically, planting a passionate kiss underneath her ear. She buried her face in his shoulder and was gone, thighs squeezing wildly, hips hovering an inch above the bed, a primal cry released against his skin.

Ezra held her tightly in his arms, letting her breath and pulse calm. He kissed her forehead, then her lips, then rolled onto his side against her. She turned to face him, face flushed, looking slightly sheepish.

"You feel insane," she breathed, throwing him a vibrant smile.

"The pleasure is all mine, seriously," he demurred, enjoying the cheesy pun. "It's hot to see you like that."

He meant it; his stomach flip-flopped a few times at the sight of her. When was the last time he had felt like this over sex? It had been too long since the act had held such precious meaning to him. (Or had it ever? Maybe with Jackie - but looking back, their first time together was hardly special.)

Aria pawed at his shoulder, bringing him back to the moment. "Hey, too many clothes?" she teased, tugging at the edge of his boxers. She lifted her hips and allowed Ezra to coax her panties over her hips and thighs and feet. When Ezra stood to remove his, he couldn't help but feast his eyes over her fully naked figure. She looked like a Renaissance painting, did she know that? Her dark hair spilled out in wild waves around her shoulders, and her curves stood out like lightning against the dark blue sheets. He loved the little divot of her bellybutton, the gentle sloping of her thin thighs. Her knees pressed together and rolled to one side, hiding her center shyly from view.

Once he had kicked his boxers to the floor, Aria grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the bed. Propped up on his elbows, he gently laid his body over hers inch by inch, careful that his cock didn't intrude too far in the wrong direction just yet.

"You're beautiful," he said softly, kissing her. "It's been a long time since sex meant this much to me. I'm the luckiest guy in the world that you trust me with this. I love you." Maybe it wasn't much, but he felt better that she knew how much this meant to him, too. It was her first time, but his first time with the girl of his dreams - and that counted more than she could know.

"I love you, Ezra," she said. "And… I'm ready." She looped her arms under his and placed them on the small of his back. Her fingers traced gentle circles across the skin there.

"You sure?" he asked. Asking one more time couldn't hurt; he wanted this to be perfect for her.

"Yeah," she said, giving a quick nod.

He leaned over to the side of the bed, reaching into the drawer of his bedside table to reveal a foil packet. He hadn't put on a condom in ages, but he supposed it was like riding a bike, wasn't it? Something you'd never forget? He expertly unwrapped it and unrolled the latex down his length, returning to Aria for a deep kiss.

Ezra lifted his hips over hers and let Aria's hand guide him to her slick opening. She was so wonderfully wet against his sensitive skin, it took all of his focus and self-control not to plunge in immediately. Once he was aligned, he reached up with one hand and intertwined his fingers with hers on the pillow. Ever so slowly, he slid into her, feeling as if his insides could melt at her hot, velvety texture.

He heard a sharp intake of air and could feel her muscles clench around him. Her eyes were wide, boring up into his.

"I don't want to hurt you," he said quickly, freezing into place.

"No, no, I'm fine. Keep going," she said, smoothing a hand over his back.

And so he did, as carefully as he could. After a few slow plunges to the hilt, he felt her relax against the bed and loosen around his hips.

"Like this?" she asked, moving her hips experimentally.

He placed a hand under her hips and guided her to their shared rhythm. Now they were both slick with her and he could thrust more smoothly. As he did so, the headboard beat a steady rhythm against the wall, in time with the creaking bedsprings. Aria let out a soft giggle.

"I love you, Ezra," she repeated.

"I love you, I love you, I_ love_ you," he said, sinking deeper into her with each thrust.

She had no idea how tight and fantastically constricting she was along his length. Moving in and out wordlessly, he kissed her over and over. Aria softened as he went, allowing her legs to hang open in a wide straddle, knees and feet practically touching the bed. He remembered stories she had told - she used to be a dancer back in Iceland. The new position allowed him to grind even closer to her, and he had to marvel at what a sexy sight it was to see her splayed out like that for him.

"You doing okay?" he asked, slightly breathless.

She nodded. "It stopped hurting."

They continued to move as one in a steadily increasing rhythm, panting and kissing and savoring each other's skin. When he couldn't control himself any longer, Ezra left a hungry trail of kisses down her neck and clenched the sheets in his fists. His hips pounded into hers rapidly and she wrapped her legs around his waist in response. With a final heavy thrust and grunt, he was spent, spilling into her with euphoria. He let out an animalistic moan and she tenderly kissed his shoulder. Aria and Ezra lay still, hip to hip, until his breathing slowed to match hers.

"You're unbelievable," he said, and he meant it. Maybe she had no idea what she was doing, but her body had led the way to his satisfying finish. They wrapped together into a tight embrace.

"Thank you," Aria said after a short silence. "That couldn't have been more perfect."

Ezra wondered if she could feel the way his skin tingled and glowed when she said that. "I should be thanking you," he replied.

She gave one of her signature throaty, musical laughs. "Why?"

"Because I still can't get over how lucky I was to find you." If it sounded cheesy, she didn't hear it - they both knew it was the truth. Their relationship was a gift. Nerves plagued him like he was back in high school again, afraid to ruin this moment with the girl of his dreams. "I hope that was… okay."

"More than perfect," she reassured him, giving him a long, languid kiss.

With a wiggle of his hips, he slowly extracted himself from her center and rolled off the condom. He dropped it into the trash can beside his bed.

"God, I feel so adult!" she crowed, tossing him a broad smile.

He pulled the covers up over both of them and nestled his body behind hers. His hips rounded behind hers and he draped an arm across her body as their bodies pressed into a spoon. A flash of guilt hit him hard in the stomach; now, he could _really _be accused of sleeping with a student. He pushed away the wince - now wasn't the time to dwell on that.

Ezra buried a kiss into Aria's neck. "I love you, babe."

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Chapter 3 will be up soon. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This chapter is short and sweet. Have fun with it! **

Sleepovers were a rare treat. Ezra didn't exactly encourage Aria to lie to her parents about her whereabouts, but he never protested when she "spent the night at Emily's" or even "went to the lake house with Spencer's family for the weekend." Nights like these were rare, and Ezra savored them. Aria's head rested on his chest, one knee draped over his thigh. They chattered mindlessly before sleep took over, drifting off in unison. Finally, the night was at peace.

When the alarm trilled the next morning, Ezra jolted awake. Aria pressed her forehead into his chest and groaned. "Five more minutes," she protested. Suddenly, as if she realized where she was and what had happened the night before, she sat up in bed.

"Hey," she said coyly. "Good morning." She leaned over for a kiss. The blankets slipped to her waist as she sat up, revealing full, pale breasts. She _had _to know that was a sexy sight first thing in the morning… and, no surprise there, Ezra hardened under the covers.

"Good morning. Did you sleep all right?" he asked.

"I didn't get much sleeping in, believe it or not," she replied, turning a rosy shade of pink.

"Huh, imagine that…" he played along.

She stretched and sat up straight. "Thank you for last night, really. And thank you for waiting - it was perfect," she said, a smile upturning the corners of her pink, plump lips. "Do you know how many guys my own age would have pressured me into doing that months ago?"

"Last night _was _amazing," Ezra admitted. "You mean the world to me; that's why I waited. I'm glad you had a good time."

"Mind if I take a shower?" she asked, cocking her head towards the bathroom.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, eyeing her bombshell body.

She smiled and rolled out of bed. "Not at all." When she stood up, her eye caught something on the sheets. A small, irregularly-shaped stain darkened the navy sheet. Aria looked down and saw a matching trickle of dried blood on her inner thigh.

"Oh my God, Ezra, I'm so sorry," she squeaked, clapping a hand to her mouth.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," he reassured her. "I was planning on doing laundry this weekend, anyway." So, I had told a bit of a lie, but it couldn't hurt. He didn't want her to be embarrassed.

"Hey, at least you know I wasn't lying about being a virgin," she joked, attempting to laugh it off.

Ezra rolled his eyes. "Like that would have mattered?" He called after her as she sauntered into the bathroom, giving him a precious view of her ass swaying side to side as she walked. There was no point in camouflaging his erection now; he followed her into the bathroom.

But _would _it have mattered to him? It was a point of pride that he was her first. _He _got to show her how it was done, _he _made sure she was loved and cared for and safe. Unbidden, the image of her with Jason DiLaurentis sprung to mind and he felt a flash of hot rage boil in my stomach.

"Actually, I take that back. I like having you all to myself," Ezra told her. He rested his hands on the curves of her hips and nuzzled her neck as she turned on the shower. It was a turn-on - albeit a frustrating one - to see boys her own age stare at her in class. She didn't always catch their stolen glances, but Ezra usually did.

They slipped into the shower together, taking turns under the stream of water. She lathered her hair up into a sudsy pile on top of her head and rinsed it out, allowing him to step into the stream.

"You have a hickey," she observed, pointing to a spot above his collarbone. "I wonder how it got there," she said, faking innocence, fluttering her Bambi-length lashes.

He examined her more closely, running my finger along her jaw. "You do, too. Right there," he said, touching a small one on her neck.

"Is it bad? Yours isn't so noticeable," she said.

"Eh… yours can probably be covered up with makeup, I'd guess."

Mascara dripped down her cheeks as she turned her face to the stream of water. When she turned back to face him, he wiped away the dark tracks with my thumb. Aria leaned in for a kiss. Slick with soap, she backed Ezra up against the wall of the shower; her hands roamed across his chest and down his sides. Ezra felt a jolt - one of her delicate hands was wrapped around his cock. Eyes closed, he let himself enjoy it.

When he had finished, they both rinsed off under the spray of water and climbed out of the shower. She grabbed a towel from the rack and dried her body. As she squeezed the excess water from her hair into the shower, she said, "So, did that shower make us cleaner or dirtier?"

Ezra couldn't help but laugh. "The jury's out on that one."

They padded around the apartment, dressing for the day and making coffee and breakfast. Aria did her best dabbing at their matching hickeys with the concealer she had tucked away in her purse.

"Do you want a sweater or something? So you don't look like you're wearing the same outfit as yesterday?" Ezra offered.

Aria glanced at her reflection in the mirror, appraising her simple black dress. It was an unusually plain outfit for her - wearing it twice in a row would definitely raise eyebrows from her friends.

"Yeah, that might help," she said, pulling open his bureau drawers and rummaging through the clothes. "Mind if I take this one?" She held up a blue wool sweater.

"Er… not that one. 'Fitz' is embroidered on the sleeve," he said with a grimace. That was practically like _asking_ someone to turn him into the police. "Sorry."

"Oh, right, never mind," Aria said, dropping it back in to the drawer. "Is this one okay?" She slipped into a forest green cardigan.

"Go ahead."

It was too long on her, but she rolled up the sleeves and smiled at her reflection anyway. The Hollis crest was sewn over her heart, but that was hardly a giveaway in a town like Rosewood.

"You look cute," Ezra couldn't help but say. She did - she always did.

They left for school, Ezra in his car and Aria in his hers. It was the safe, smart choice, and besides, there was nothing wrong with Aria following Ezra's car all the way there. Every few minutes, he glanced in his rearview mirror and caught Aria smiling about something or singing along to the radio.

He pulled into the teachers' parking lot and she drove into the students' lot on the other side of the building. As Ezra walked into school and towards his classroom, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. It was a text from Aria:

_Can't wait for 3rd period. xo!_

The next two hours of teaching would be very long, indeed.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I had so much fun with this scene! I was curious what it would be like for Ezra to teach Aria and her friends. This is my take on it - and it was so much fun to write! Enjoy!**

"Aria, I didn't know you were considering Hollis," Spencer commented, nodding at the Hollis crest on the cardigan Aria had borrowed from Ezra that morning.

"I heard Hollis has a really great English program," Aria covered brightly.

"That's great," Spencer nodded. She stole a glance at Ezra's Hollis diploma hanging on the wall above his desk, as if she was about to put together the pieces.

Hanna didn't look as impressed. "Ew," she said, wrinkling her nose. "Didn't you wear that dress yesterday?"

Ezra couldn't help but overhear the girls' conversation. His stomach tensed; Aria knew better than to even hint at what had happened the night before, but he couldn't prevent the other girls from guessing. He trusted Spencer and Emily, to a degree, but if Hanna figured it out, she could very well blurt it out by accident.

"Oh, you know. Laundry day's coming up soon," Aria said, nervously tucking a piece of hair behind her hair.

"Huh," Hanna said, checking her nails. She snapped her head up and peered more closely at Aria. "Is that a hickey? Way to go, Aria," she crooned.

Aria lightly slapped Hanna's arm, but before she could say anything, the bell rang. She shooed her friends away. She didn't normally take the lead among the foursome - Ezra had noticed that Spencer and Hanna tended to fill that role most often - but English class was her domain, and the others let her lead.

"Your classroom is almost like your apartment," Aria had joked once. And accordingly, she leaned just a little too comfortably against the doorframe and desks, raised her hand for a few too many questions (even more than Spencer did), and was always the first to volunteer when Ezra needed help.

So, forgive her for feeling too comfortable. If they couldn't be public about their relationship quite yet, having her in class was the next best thing.

As the class settled into their seats, Ezra cleared his throat. "Hi guys, I hope you enjoyed the reading last night. _Romeo and Juliet _is one of Shakespeare's best works. Are you liking it so far?"

A smattering of students nodded; Aria was the most vigorous among them. "Love it," she said.

Ezra leaned back against his desk, searching for a pile of papers. "Well, I"m really sorry to have to do this to you guys, but… pop quiz!"

The class groaned collectively. "Seriously?" a jock called out from the back row, scowling. Spencer sat up straighter in her seat. Hanna slumped over her desk, head propped on her fist, and threw an irritated look at Aria, as if to say, "Won't you do something about this?"

Ezra walked through the rows of desks, handing a quiz to each one. "Don't worry, it won't be a tough quiz if you've done last night's assignment. You guys will be fine," he reassured them, dropping a quiz on Aria's desk without making eye contact.

"Thanks," she said quietly, as he passed by.

"Okay, guys, you have fifteen minutes. And… start!" Ezra said, checking his watch.

He sat back down at his desk and tried to grade essays, but his thoughts quickly drifted back to last night with Aria. Maybe it had been slightly fumbling, slightly uncoordinated; he felt guilty that she didn't come during sex, but then again, she hadn't been in absolute pain the entire time, the way he knew some virgins were. He loved feeling so close to her afterward, lying intertwined for several minutes, skin pressed to skin. He was grateful for the desk that hid his erection from view, but he needed to think of something - anything - to deflate it before it was time to stand up.

Ah, teaching. Right, he thought, focusing again on the hordes of teenagers in front of him. Hardly sexy - except for one. He checked his watch.

"Five more minutes," he warned.

Aria was scribbling furiously. He knew the quiz would be a piece of cake for her - she had read _Romeo and Juliet_ on her own before he had even assigned it and was devouring it a second time through. On several occasions, curled up on the couch, he and Aria had debated the star-crossed lovers' relationship. He hadn't told her his lesson plan for the day, but he knew she would instantly recognize what he was onto; after all, she had inspired it.

Her pencil jabbed against her paper in a final period. She pushed her chair back and stood up, locking eyes with Ezra as she walked to his desk.

"All done," she said, placing the quiz on his desk.

She trailed her finger across the mark he had made on her neck - or was that just his imagination? Was she brushing away a stray strand of hair? She bit her lip and lingered at his desk for a fraction of a second longer than necessary, before turning on her heel and sitting back down at her desk. That definitely _wasn't _his imagination. Absent-mindedly, he scratched at his matching mark above his collarbone.

"Time's up!" he called. "Turn in your quizzes."

Students filed up to his desk to hand theirs in. As they returned to their seats, Ezra heard faint snippets of, "What was the answer to number five?" and "Party at my house tonight, wanna come?"

"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Ezra asked. "I'll have those back to you later this week. Anyway, last night, I had you read the prologue and first act of _Romeo and Juliet_. Who can tell me about the prologue?" Spencer raised her hand; Ezra nodded towards her. "Spencer, go ahead."

"Well, the prologue explains what happens throughout the rest of the play. Two star-crossed lovers from feuding households, the Montagues and the Capulets, can't be together, so they commit suicide," she explained.

"Right. Thanks, Spencer. Later this week, we'll practice memorizing and reciting the prologue - it's not as hard as you might think."

The drama club president in the third row grinned.

"So, Romeo stumbles upon Juliet, it's love at first sight, and yet they can't be together. Why? What's the problem?" Ezra prompted.

A few students raised their hands and Ezra called on one.

"Their families have been fighting for decades - they're defying their parents completely. I mean, they're killing each other's cousins, aren't they?" one student pointed out.

"Yeah, and aren't they just teenagers, anyway? How do they know it's real love?" another added.

"Seriously, Romeo probably just thought Juliet was hot. He fell 'in love' with her instantly," a third said, making air quotes. "That doesn't even happen in real life."

Aria's hand shot up and she looked pointedly at Ezra to call on her. "It doesn't matter that their families are feuding, or that they're young, or that it was love in first sight… None of that matters. It's a beautiful story," she insisted, looking around at her classmates as if it were obvious. She turned to Ezra, looking for approval. "They're in love. Right, Mr. Fitz?"

"I have to say I agree with Aria," he said. "Let's update the story a little. Imagine you're at a party, you see someone cute, and your parents disapprove - I don't know, maybe they think he's a bad influence or a distraction. What are you going to do?"

"Sneak around… duh," the jock in the back muttered.

"Exactly!" Ezra said. "You're in high school, you're not going to listen to half the stuff your parents say, anyway."

Spencer looked alarmed; Ezra back-tracked.

"Not that I'm _encouraging _you to sneak around behind your parents' backs," Ezra recovered.

Hanna gave a low whistle. "It would be pretty thrilling, though, would' it?" tossing her friends a smirk.

If only she knew exactly how _un_thrilling it truly was, Ezra thought, cooped up in his apartment every night.

Aria concentrated intensely down at her desk. The beginnings of a grin quaked at the corners of her mouth. "I don't know, _I _think the play is pretty romantic," she said.

"It's the greatest love story of all time, of course it's romantic," Emily piped up.

Ezra couldn't help but smile as the class began to come around to his point of view. If only convincing the rest of the world could be so easy. He looked at his watch; class was about to end.

"All right, that's it for today. We'll discuss Act 2 tomorrow - it'll be great. Have a great day!" he said, just as the bell rang.

The class grabbed their books and backpacks and headed out. As usual, Aria took extra care putting her books back in her bag, ensuring she'd be the last one out of the classroom.

"I'll catch up with you guys in a sec," she told her friends over her shoulder, as they filed into the hallway. She just barely grazed by Ezra's desk.

"Can I see you after school today? I have to have dinner with my parents and grandparents tonight, but I don't need to be home until six," she said.

"Sure, meet me at my apartment at 3:30?" he whispered.

"Absolutely."

After she left the room, Ezra headed towards the door and leaned against the doorframe. He watched as Aria joined her friends against Emily's locker.

"So, I've got a question for you…" he overheard Spencer asking Aria coyly, taking her arm.

**A/N: Do you think Spencer figured it out? I'll probably wrap this up in the next chapter or two. Read and review!**


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